The Meaning of a Kiss
by Lina Shay
Summary: [OneShot] Something happens between Josie and Lucas that is hard for her to handle. Will she figure out her feelings?


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Strange Days at Blake Holsey High crew.   
  
A/N: I was up late one night and this idea came to me. It isn't the best thing I've ever written, but I thought it was an interesting idea. This is loosely based on a scene from "Where the Heart Is." Sorry this has nothing to do with Science.   
  
THE HEART NEEDS TO LOVE  
  
by Lina Shay  
  
Josie reluctantly knocked on the door. There was no answer. Maybe he wasn't there. But after not going to classes all day, where else would he be? She knocked again but there was still no answer. Finally, she just opened the door and peeked in. He sat on his bed, his faced covered by one hand. With the other, he held a framed picture and his glasses.  
  
"Lucas?" Josie said softly as she took a step into the room.  
  
Instantly, he looked up at her. He sniffled a bit, fumbling his glasses onto his face.  
  
"Josie, what are you doing here?" Lucas asked.  
  
"You weren't in classes," Josie told him. "I was worried."  
  
Lucas stared at her for a moment, then looked down at the picture.  
  
"I was excused," Lucas muttered.  
  
"I know," Josie whispered. "I heard about your dad."  
  
Lucas didn't respond, just continued to look at the picture in his hand. Curiously, Josie walked over to Lucas and sat beside him. She glanced over his shoulder. It was a picture of him and his dad holding up a large fish. Both were smiling widely, though wet up to their knees.  
  
"That's grumpy," Lucas told her, pointing to the fish. "We use to try to catch him every year. We got him that year, but we threw him back. I guess we just loved the chase too much."  
  
Josie glanced over at Lucas. If only there was something she could do to help.  
  
"I won't catch him ever again, will I?" Lucas asked.  
  
How could Josie answer?  
  
"Oh, Josie, I just don't know what I'm going to do without him!" Lucas said, sticking his thumb and forefinger under his glasses to hide the tears.  
  
Josie reached over and hugged him. He cried into her green sweater. In an attempt to soothe him, Josie ran her fingers through his scraggly, dark born hair. This gave her a feeling that was hard to explain. She ached to comfort him and yearned to put an end to this pain.  
  
Josie ran her hand down Lucas's face and lifted his chin to face her. His glasses were crooked and his eyes were red. But he looked at her in a way that wasn't mournful. He looked at her in a tender way. Josie leaned close to him and closed her eyes as their lips lightly touched. She pulled away to look at him. Lucas, in return, slipped his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing her. Josie ran her fingers up into his hair. It was so passionate and hot that Josie could hardly bare it, but she just couldn't stop kissing him. She had never known a feeling like this.  
  
"Lucas?" came a voice.  
  
Lucas and Josie immediately parted as Marshall pushed the door open. Josie could scarcely catch her breath.  
  
"I came to see if you needed anything," Marshall began, looking at them curiously, "before I headed to my next class."  
  
Josie glanced at Lucas just briefly. She had come for the same reason as Marshall and ended up making out with Lucas. How did that happen?   
  
"I think I'd better head to class," Josie said, standing up from the bed. "I'll see you guys."  
  
She fled as quickly as she could without looking suspicious. She just wanted to go to her own room and figure things out without a lot of people around, but that wouldn't do. As she walked down the hall, she heard someone call her name. She froze, her heart pounding. What was she going to do?  
  
"Josie," Vaughn said as he came up to her, "where've you been? I was looking for you."  
  
"Um," Josie sputtered. "I-I was just...around."  
  
"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go to a concert tonight," Vaughn told her. "See, I have these ticket for RNA 4-10."  
  
"Really?" Josie said excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, so you wanna go?" Vaughn asked.  
  
Josie bit her lip. She couldn't go on a date with Vaughn as long as this Lucas thing was tearing at her. But what was she to do?   
  
"Vaughn, I'm sorry," Josie said, "but I have other plans tonight. Maybe some other time."  
  
Without waiting for a reaction, Josie pushed through the crowd down the hall. She just didn't know what to do.  
  
***************  
  
Josie couldn't sleep that night. She kept tossing and turning. She played her conversation with Vaughn over and over. Then thought of what happened with Lucas. It wasn't just trying to comfort him. Josie just felt into it. She couldn't have stopped it. She didn't want to. It was nothing like kissing Vaughn. It was deeper somehow.   
  
Josie had to find a way to make sense of it all.  
  
The next day, Josie was determined to talk to Lucas. He would surely be in classes. A death in the family only merited one excused absence. It was unfair, but it was policy. She walked to the Science lab, her heart pounding. Then she saw him. Lucas stood with Marshall next to the door to the Science lab. Josie stopped dead. Her heart thudded harder. Quickly, she jumped into a nearby classroom which was fortunately empty. Why was she so scared? She was never scared.   
  
Josie glanced out into the hall to see that Lucas and Marshall had gone into class. She wasn't sure if she could go in now. The bell rang. She was late. Josie had to go to class. Taking a breath, she jogged down the hall to the Science class. She went straight to her seat, trying not to look at anyone, especially Lucas.   
  
As Professor Z started class, Josie looked at Lucas. It was supposed to be a brief look, but when she saw him looking back at her, she couldn't look away. His eyes almost seemed to ask her why she kissed him. Josie couldn't reply. She didn't fully understand it herself. There was a tenderness in his eyes, a warmth. He cared for her more than he showed usually.  
  
When the bell rang, Josie got out of class as fast as she could. Before she knew it, she had run right into the janitor.  
  
"Excuse me," she muttered, slipping pass him.  
  
"You're the one looking for excuses," the janitor said over his shoulder.  
  
Josie stopped and looked back at him. "What do you mean, I'm looking for excuses?"   
  
"Aren't you?" The janitor asked, mopping the floor.  
  
"No," Josie insisted.  
  
"How can you know what you feel if you lie to yourself?" The janitor told her.  
  
Josie walked up to him. "I don't know what to think."  
  
"What is your real problem, Josie?" The janitor asked, leaning on his mop.  
  
Josie lowered her eyes. "I kissed Lucas."  
  
"That's a problem?" The Janitor said.  
  
"Yes, I like Vaughn," Josie told him.  
  
"Do you?" the Janitor posed.  
  
"Yes, ever since we kissed during Romeo and Juliette," Josie explained. "There was something different in that kiss."  
  
"Like when you kissed Lucas," the Janitor said.  
  
"Yes-er-no, I mean," Josie sputtered.  
  
The janitor raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Are you saying that," Josie began, "during Romeo and Juliet, I wasn't kissing Vaughn?"  
  
"I didn't say it, you did," the Janitor informed.  
  
The Janitor put his mop in the bucket and rolled it away. Josie watched him walked down the hall. How could he know so much?  
  
"Josie!"  
  
She turned to see Lucas coming toward her. She didn't have the impulse to run this time.   
  
"I've been meaning to talk to you," Lucas began nervously.  
  
"Yeah, me too," Josie said.  
  
"Yesterday was crazy," Lucas told her. "I was having a hard time, so..."  
  
He was making excuses. Just like she had been. Josie understood it now, though.   
  
"Lucas," she interrupted him, smiling, "just shut up."  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was the same, that same feeling she felt yesterday and the day of Romeo and Juliet. Only Lucas made her feel it. She knew that now. She also knew that Lucas felt it too.  
  
The End  
  
A/N: I know, it was stupid. Please, don't flame, though. 


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